OCEAN GLOBE RACE

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of

Ocean Globe Race,

On 10 September, more than 200 sailors will depart Ocean Village onboard 14 yachts to complete the four leg, 30,000 mile race around the world via the three great capes: Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, Australia’s Cape Leeuwin and South America’s notorious Cape Horn. This adventure is not about money or glamourous accolades, it is about the challenge and the human spirit.

The Ocean Village race start has been welcomed with, for example, legendary sailor Sir Chay Blyth, OGR patron and o cial starter, saying: “This is very good news indeed! I am delighted to hear that the 50th anniversary celebration of the first Whitbread is starting out of Ocean Village. This OGR will be a great race and huge adventure and tribute to all those original Whitbread sailors.”

Onboard the privately-owned, pre1988 sailing boats, which will return to Southampton in April 2024, the international mixed-gender crews will have no GPS, no high-tech equipment and no computers and will navigate using only a sextant, charts, the stars and sheer determination.

Six of the boats competing have taken part in one or more of the Whitbread races to which they are now paying homage. One of the most notable is Tracy Edwards’ Farr 58 Maiden.

In 1990 Tracy triumphantly brought home the first all-female Whitbread crew onboard Maiden to Ocean Village Marina. At the time it was estimated that almost 50,000 people came to witness this momentous event, which helped to turn the tide on women’s participation in sailing.

On returning to Ocean Village Marina Don McIntyre, Ocean Globe Race founder and owner of McIntyre Events, says: “Starting the 2023 Ocean Globe Race from Ocean Village in Southampton and bringing the race home to the UK is a dream come true for me.

“Thanks to MDL’s vision and support in hosting the race, this September the UK public will be able to soak up the incredible atmosphere in the Race Village and celebrate an important part of their maritime culture as they bid farewell to the crews taking part in the re-creation of this epic sailing challenge.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Race Village

There will be plenty of opportunities for everyone to get involved in the celebrations when the Race Village opens at the end of August for two weeks of activities and festivities.

At 11am on Tuesday 29 August the Race Village around the marina will be opened by the Lord Mayor of Southampton, with the race crews, OGR and MDL team members, the press and public all invited to cheer on as the ribbon is cut.

Then, on 1 September at 1.30pm, the City of Southampton will o cially welcome the race and competitors to the port city, which has an unrivalled maritime pedigree, having seen the departure of

Thousands of hours of refits, training, qualifying passages and safety courses are being completed across the 14-strong fleet.

Whitbread Round

World Race,

two of history’s most famous ships, the Mayflower and the Titanic, as well as being the home of some of the largest, most luxurious cruise ships in the world.

“MDL Marinas is 50 this year, and what better way to celebrate our anniversary than welcoming the Ocean Globe Race to our Ocean Village Marina to celebrate the Whitbread Round the World Race as it also turns 50,” says Tim Mayer, sales and marketing director at MDL Marinas.

“By hosting the start and finish of this retro edition of the historic race, we are hoping to recreate the jubilant atmosphere of the early races, welcoming crowds of supporters, capturing the imagination of visitors and inspiring the next generation of round the world sailors.

“Working closely with Southampton City Council and McIntyre Adventure it is an honour and privilege to be part of this event, building on Southampton’s already proud maritime heritage. And there are plenty of opportunities for businesses, as well as members of the public, to be front and centre of all the action at our Race Village when it opens its doors.

“There are so many ways to get involved in the festivities and take part in this truly memorable event.

“It really will be a case of the more the merrier, championing the courageous sailors taking part and the sport of sailing itself.”

The Entrants Adventure

n Galiana WithSecure | Finland | Skipper Tapio Lehtinen

Race Events

‘Design a Sail’

n Godspeed | USA |

Skipper Taylor Grieger n Outlaw | Australia |

Raising money in style on the evening of 1 September, MDL Marinas is hosting a black tie Captain’s Dinner at the Harbour Hotel, offering a unique opportunity to dine with the skippers and crews taking part in the OGR.

Skipper Campbell Mackie n Sterna | South Africa |

Skipper Rufus Brand n Triana | France |

Skipper Jean d’Arthuys

FLYER n L’Esprit d’Équipe | France |

Skipper Lionel Regnier n Maiden | UK | Skipper TBC n Neptune | France |

Skipper Bernard Deguy oceangloberace.com n Pen Duick VI | France |

The hottest ticket in town, the evening will include a charity auction to raise money for the Ocean Youth Trust (South), Blue Marine Foundation and The Maiden Factor, which is the charity started by Tracey Edwards MBE to support communities to enable girls into education to reach their full potential and create better futures.

Then, on the day of departure (10 September), the steamship Shieldhall will act as the starting boat for the OGR.

Winner of the original Golden Globe Race in 1968, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston will be among those onboard for the 1pm start and to follow the yachts to The Needles as they set sail on this awe-inspiring voyage, reminiscent of the Golden Age of fully crewed ocean racing, the likes of which the Solent has not seen for many years.

Spaces onboard the Shieldhall are limited, but if you want to join the well-wishers and soak up the onwater atmosphere, head over to the OGR website and book your place.

Skipper Marie Tabarly n Translated 9 | Italy | Skippers

Marco Trombetti & Vittorio Malingri

SAYULA

Evrika | France | Skipper

Dominique Dubois

9 Explorer n Explorer | Australia | Skipper Captain Mark Sinclair n Spirit of Helsinki | Finland |

Skipper Jussi Paavoseppä n White Shadow | Spain | Skipper Jean-Christophe Petit

To celebrate the start of the OGR and help raise awareness for ocean conservation, MDL is calling all budding artists and designers to submit a sail design for an OGR yacht that reimagines a sustainable future where the ocean is full of abundant and diverse marine life.

The winner will be presented with a sustainability hamper and a framed photo of their winning design, as well as having their design displayed on the large screen in the Race Village prior to the start of the Ocean Globe Race.

Digital or hand drawn designs are welcomed, and the competition is open to everyone. The artwork submission deadline is 28 August 2023. Entry details: mdlmarinas.co.uk/ogr23

The Race Village will be open from 29 August - 10 September between 10am and 6pm. Entry is free, with tickets available via MDL’s website. To find out more about how you can get involved in the Ocean Globe Race celebrations at Ocean Village visit www.mdlmarinas.co.uk/ogr23.

In 1989, Tracy Edwards skippered the first all-female crew in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race, becoming the first woman to receive the Yachtsman of the Year Trophy.

Tracy and her team faced formidable obstacles, including opposition and sexism, but still managed to secure victory in two of the most gruelling legs of the course. They secured second place overall in their class, the best result for a British boat in 17 years. Their achievement marked a turning point for the sailing community, creating new opportunities for female competitors.

Now Maiden is taking a break from The Maiden Factor World Tour, which began in September 2021, having covered nearly 30,000nm visiting 20 destinations. In that time they have been engaging with schools, charities and organisations as part of her mission to educate, empower and elevate girls, increasing their life and career choices and also raising money to fund girls’ educational projects around the world.

The OGR will provide a great opportunity to amplify Maiden’s mission and the importance of educating all girls for better futures for all. The only UK entrant, Maiden will again sail with a young female skipper and crew of up and coming sailors from around the world, who will no doubt inspire another generation of women and girls to follow their dreams. In readiness for this latest challenge the crew have, for example, been undergoing Astro navigation training to hone their traditional navigation skills.

Tracy Edwards explains: “Final preparations are well underway with the crew taking various courses and preparing both minds and bodies for the rigours of the OGR race, focusing on endurance and strength.”

It is an inspirational story when you consider that in 2014 Tracy discovered that Maiden had been abandoned and was slowly deteriorating in the Seychelles. Determined to preserve this maritime treasure, she launched a fundraising campaign to acquire the vessel and bring her back to the UK.

Three years later, in April 2017, Maiden was transported to Southampton and underwent a thorough renovation, giving rise to The Maiden Factor initiative.